Hodkey1

KaylaHodkey

ProfessorCampbell

ENC1102

February13,2017

TheVaccineWar

Therearemanycontroversialsubjectsbeingdiscussedamongstsociety.Oneofwhich,is

thelinkbetweenautismandvaccinations.Formanyyears,peoplewhoopposevaccinationshave

used medical terminology as a persuasive rhetorical strategy. This stratagem makes their

argumentsseembothcredibleandeducational.Althoughlackingevidence,thistactichascaused

longlastingdamagetothepublicsknowledgeofhealth.Withtheintentionstofocusonhowthe

misuseofmedicallexisanduseofexaggeratedlanguageisintegratedwithinsociety,Iplanto

discusshowithasbeenredefinedtocreateascarerhetoricfortheantivaccinemovement.The

misuseofmedicalrhetoricisbeingintegratedinsocietyto,notonlygenerateafalsesenseof

credibility,butserveaspersuasiverhetoricaltechniqueaswell.

The article, Ileallymphoidnodular hyperplasia, nonspecific colitis, and pervasive

developmentaldisorderinchildren,waspublishedin1998inthemedicaljournal,TheLancet,

byaBritishgastroenterologist,AndrewWakefield.Itprovidedcasehistoriesfortwelvechildren,

exploringincidencesofchronicenterocolitis(inflammationofboththesmallintestineandthe

colon), inflammatory bowel disease and regressive developmental disorderas well as

immunizationwiththeMMRvaccine(Ziv2016).In2010, TheLancet retractedWakefields

papersayingitwasscientificallyflawedandhisfindingscouldnotbereplicated.However,

despitetheserevelations,organizationscameoutinstrongsupportofWakefield,continuingto
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believe his science (Palfreman & McMahon The Vaccine War). I performed rhetorical and

textual analysis on Andrew Wakefields retracted publication and identified the persuasive

rhetoric strategies that were used to cause such a huge controversy in society. Wakefields

In some cases the onset and course of behavioural regression was precipitous,
with children losing all communication skills over a few weeks to months. This
regression is consistent with a disintegrative psychosis (Hellers disease).

publicationuseslanguagebasedonfearmongering.

In Figure 1, Andrew Wakefields phrases such as behavioural regression was
figur

precipitousandchildrenlosingallcommunicationskills,instantlypersuadestheaudienceto

feel fearful and doubtful. However, incorporating complex medical terminology like

disintegrativepsychosismaygivetheaudienceasensereassuranceandcredibility.

causal link between measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine and this syndrome,
a rising incidence might be anticipated after the introduction of this vaccine in
figur
the UK in 1988.

Figure2evokespanicamongsttheaudiencebysuggestingthatapossiblelinktoautism,through

vaccinations,willbeseenwhentheMMRvaccineisintroducedintheUnitedKingdom.This

sentenceservesasscarerhetoricforaudiencesintheUnitedKingdomthatturnsthemagainst

vaccinatingtheirchildrenforfataldiseases.Infact,accordingtostatisticsvaccinationsintheUK

plummetedafterthepublicationofWakefieldsflawedstudy.Infigure3highlightstheresultsof

the twelve children are highlighted by organizing the information into a table restating that

exposuretotheMMRvaccinationistheresulttoautism.
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Someonewhoispartoftheexternalmedicalcommunitymaybecomealarmedwhenseeingthe

outcomesofthestudy.Theauthorliststheageandfeaturesassociatedwithexposuretothe

MMRshot,makingparentswithyoung,newlyvaccinatedchildrenfeelparanoidandpushes

future parents toward the notion that vaccinations are harmful. Thus, causing longlasting

damagetopublichealthandknowledgeofexternalmedicalcommunities.

Themisuseofmedicalrhetoricisbeingintegratedinsocietyto,notonlygenerateafalse

senseofcredibility,butserveaspersuasivetechniqueaswell.RealmsofRhetoricinHealthand

Science, anarticleintheUniversityofTorontosmedicaljournal,studieshumaninteraction

through the theory of persuasion. Persuasion can go two ways in the medical community.

Patients,withoutnoticeablesymptoms,mayneedtopersuademedicalexpertstheyareilland

medical experts may persuade patients they are not ill, despite the way they feel (Segal &

Derkatch138139).OxfordsResearchEncyclopediaofCommunicationpublishedanarticle,
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RhetoricalApproachestoHealthandMedicine,furtherexplainsthewaypeopleuselanguageto

persuadeothersinhopestostrengthenormodifytheiractionstobuildasenseofidentityand

belonging(Malkowski,Scott,&Kernen20162).Thepersuasiverhetoricdisplayedininternal

andexternalmedicalcommunitiesuselanguagetoconvincetheaudiencetheirstanceeitherfor

oragainstvaccinationsistherightstancetotake.Throughvivid,descriptive,andpersuasive

language both communities induce the audience to believe their standpoint by appealing to

reasonorunderstanding.

Interviewingtheinternalmedicalcommunitylendstotherhetoricaltacticofspeakingto

thecorrectnessandeffectivenessoflanguage.Interviewshavebeenconductedthroughemail,

withtheexceptiontoone,becausedoctorsareverybusypeople.Emailscanberepliedtoonthe

doctorsterms,notrequiringunnecessaryhassle.Emailedresponsesallowmetogetexactly

whatwassaidbythephysicians,withouthavingtorecallwhatwassaidthroughmemorywhich

maycausedetailstodropoutandtheadditionofnewonesretrospectiveaccountsofwriting

(Prior509).

Ihave,selectively,handpickedfourmedicalexpertstointerviewandaskedonesimplequestion:

Do you believe that vaccines cause autism? If

yes, why? If no, why do you think other people
think so?

Althoughthreebasicquestionswillbeasked,therespondentisonlyexpectedtoreplytooneand

is encouragedto elaborateontheirresponses.Ihavechosenone medicalprofessional from

BaptistChildrensHospitalinMiami.Ichosethishospitalbecauseitisaspecializedhospitalfor

children.IemailedShaliniR.PatelMD,medicaldoctor.Sheisacertifiedpediatricianandan

assistantprofessoratUSFMorsani.AphoneinterviewwasconductedwithPaulOffit,medical
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doctor. He is a pediatrician specializing in infectious diseases and an expert on vaccines,

immunology,andvirology.Dr.Offitisthecoinventorofarotavirus vaccinethathas been

creditedwithsavinghundredsofliveseverydayandplaysalargerolefortheinternalmedical

communityinthePBSDocumentary, TheVaccineWar.OffitisthechiefoftheDivisionof

InfectiousDiseasesandthedirectoroftheVaccineEducationCenteratTheChildren'sHospital

ofPhiladelphia.HehasbeenamemberoftheCentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention(CDC)

AdvisoryCommitteeonImmunizationPractices.Togetawiderangeofopinions,Idecidedto

email two physicians that specialize in family medicine. Alexander Fishberg MD, medical

doctor,andToddSontagDO,osteopathicdoctor,bothprovidecareforpeopleofallagesaswell

asadministervaccinationsandprenatalcare.Ichosetoemailtheinterviewquestions,soIcould

studyandanalyzethelanguageusedwithinaninternalmedicalcommunity.Whileonlyoneof

thethreemedicalprofessionalsreplied,Iwasstillabletoanalyzethelanguagethatwasused.Dr.

ShaliniPatelrepliedthefollowing:

I do not think that vaccines cause autism. Many people do believe that they do
because of a study that has misrepresented the results and their significance.
Many celebrities have used that study and used media platforms to perpetuate
these erroneous results. In addition, the first signs of autism correlate with the
administration of MMR vaccine at 12 months of age. Because of this temporal
coincidence, many parents believe that the administration of the vaccine caused
autism.
figur
e4
Aswecansee,infigure4,Dr.Patelpointsoutthatthereasonanexternalcommunitymaythink

thatvaccinationsarethecausetoautismisduetomediahypeandinfluencefromcelebrities,

whohavemisguidedthepubliconAndrewWakefieldserroneousresults.Inaddition,she

continuestoexplainthatthefirstsignsofautismbegintobecomeapparentaroundtheageof

twelvemonths,whichis,consequently,thesametimetheMMRvaccinationisissued.When
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speakingtoDr.PaulOffitheexplainedthatthestartoftheantivaccinemovementinAmerica

wasntbecauseofAndrewWakefieldspublicationin1998,butratheronApril19 th,1982when

adocumentaryonDPT,pertussis,VaccineRoulettewaspublished.Thisdocumentaryclaimed

thattheDPTvaccine,forthewhoopingcough,causedpermanentbraindamage.Here,wesee

that this antivaccine movement started long before Wakefields retracted publication in the

Lancet.Whenquestionedabouttheautismvaccinelink,Offitexplainsthatmostpeopledonot

believeaboutthatvaccinescauseautism.themediahasplayedalargepartinthisbelief.While

Wakefields publication made the public question if autism was caused by vaccines, Offit

believes that we dont know what causes autism. People may avoid getting vaccinations

becauseof the sensethat well even if vaccines might cause autism then I shouldavoid it

becauseIdontreallyseethesediseases.Vaccinespreventcontagiousdiseasesandbychoosing

nottovaccinateyourselforyourchildyoustarttobreakdownherdimmunityandseediseases

likethemeaslescomeback.Themorepeoplethatgetimmunizedthelesslikelyvirusesareable

totravelfromonepersontothenext.ThroughoutmyinterviewwithOffit,heusedthewords

deadlydiseasestoreiteratetheimportanceofvaccinations.Acommonthemethroughout,was

thatpeopletodaydonothaveknowledgeontheselifethreateningdiseases,thuscausingthemto

overlookvaccinesincasetheydocauseautism.

Figure5,depictedbelow,isthesurveyIcreatedtogettheopinionofabroader,external

community.IpostedthelinktoFacebookandTwitterandreceivedfiftyoneresponses.
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figur

Whileoverhalfoftherespondentsbelievedthatvaccinesdidnotcauseautism,twoindividuals

believedtheyarethecausetoautism,otherseitherrespondedsayingtheydidnthaveenough

knowledgeonthecontroversyorthattheyhadneverheardthisdebateamongstsociety,and

somebelievethatcelebritiesandthemediaplayalargepartinthiscontroversialtopic.

Fiverespondentsrepliedsaying:

No, people may think this because they're uneducated and

believe what the media or celebrities endorse. Also, people who
believe this are usually religious... They blame vaccines because
God would never punish them with an autistic child. Sorry, your
kid was born that way.
NO- I believe the media persuades people into believing that
vaccinations cause autism.

No because of social media mass hysteria, not scientific

evidence
No - they are conditioned to think it does because flawed research
is published on the internet and shared all over social media.
People share it and think they are creating public awareness
without researching other findings published.

No. Media hype and the misrepresentation of an increase in the way

autism is being diagnosed.
figur
e6

The individualsresponserecorded infigure 6,use phrases like,theyreuneducated and

believewhatthemediaorcelebritiesendorse,mediahype,mediapersuadespeople,and
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theyreconditionedtothinkitdoes[causeautism]becauseflawedresearchispublishedonthe

internet.Thesephrasesmakeitevidentthattheybelievemediaandcelebritiespersuadespeople

intobelievingthatvaccinationsarethecausetoautism.And,infact,theyrenotwrong.While

the media defends the argument that vaccines do not cause autism, some celebrities think

otherwise.DonaldTrump,presidentoftheUnitedStates,givestheantivaccinemovementfuel

bybelievingvaccinescauseautism.Iambeingprovenrightaboutmassivevaccinationsthe

doctors lied. Save our children and their future, tweets Mr. Trump. As president, Donald

Trumpspositioncarriesheavyweightandhasthepowertosignificantlyimpactthenumberof

preventablediseases,aswellastreatmentandresearchonautism.Celebritiesaidtotheanti

vaccination movement is drastically impacting the safety of public health. Many people no

longer take the word of their doctor or acknowledge the results of scientific studies, thus

frustratingpublicofficialswhooverseetheprotectionofhealthinthecommunity.Broadcasted

throughthemegaphoneofhispublicoffice,Trumpswordscouldexpandtheissue(Entis2017).

However,heisnttheonlycelebrityspreadingfalseinformationaboutvaccinationsandautism.

JennyMcCarthy,spokespersonforGenerationRescue,believesthatherson,Evandeveloped

autismafterreceivingtheMMRshot.Theantivaccinemovementissuchamajordisputethat

deniestheproficiencyofscientificmedicineandseekeithertoreplaceitwithunscientificor

pseudoscientific alternatives or to integrate pseudoscience into sciencebased medicine

(Gorski2011).Dr.Offit believes that thesecelebrities simplyreflect theculture,more than

change the culture. It comes to question those people who think going to a celebrity with

insufficientknowledgeonhealthcare,ifareliablesource.
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AnarticlefromNaturalNews,TenreasonsWhyYouShouldn'tVaccinateYourChildren

is,assumedly,apartofanexternalcommunity,says:

Vaccines don't work with outbreak after outbreak proving that

vaccinated people are the most immunocompromised, and are
always the ones contracting the diseases against which they were
vaccinated. All vaccines contain deadly chemical additives
parents need to know that all vaccines contain deadly,
neurodamaging chemicals like aluminum, mercury and
formaldehyde. Many vaccines are also loaded with monosodium
glutamate (MSG), antibiotics and even genetically modified
figur

Exaggerated language is used, in figure 7, to create a scare rhetoric. Words like

immunocompromised,deadlyandneurodamaginginstantlypersuadestheaudiencetofeel

fearful and doubtful. The phrase all vaccines contain deadly chemical additives, is easily

refuted by many doctors and scientific studies, however, the authors exaggerated use of

persuasivelanguagesways theaudiencesemotionbyevokingangstandfear.Incorporating

medicallexisandterminologylikemonosodiumglutamateacompoundthatoccursnaturally

asabreakdownproductofproteinsmercuryandformaldehyde,andgeneticallymodified

organismsmaygivetheaudienceasenseofcredibilityandreassurance. Whereas,anarticle

fromTheU.S.DepartmentofHealth&HumanServices,FiveImportantReasonstoVaccinate

YourChild,asourcefromtheinternalcommunitystates:

Immunization protects future generations. Vaccines have reduced and, in

some cases, eliminated many diseases that killed or severely disabled
people just a few generations ago. For example, smallpox vaccination
eradicated that disease worldwide. Your children dont have to get smallpox
shots any more because the disease no longer exists. By vaccinating
children against rubella (German measles), the risk that pregnant women
will pass this virus on to their fetus or newborn has been dramatically
decreased, and birth defects associated with that virus no longer are seen
in the United States. If we continue vaccinating now, and vaccinating
completely, parents in the future may be able to trust that some diseases of
today will no longer be around to harm their children in the future.
figur
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Althoughfigure8presentsvividimagery,itdoesnotintendtoprovokenegativeemotionssuch

asfearandconfusion,butinsteadgivesanindividualasenseofhopefulnessandreassurance.

Noticethatmedicalterminologyisnotneededtocreatethesepositiveemotions.Throughfigure

7and8,onecanseehowpersuasivelanguageisusedasarhetoricalstrategy.Whileadifference

ofopinion,bothuseaformofpersuasiverhetoricallanguage.Figure6usescomplexmedical

terminologytotrystrengthentheircredibilityanduseswordstoscaretheaudience,aidingtothe

antivaccinemovement.However,figure8usesfactualevidencetooutlinethepositiveoutcomes

thathavebeenachievedthroughvaccinations.Thisleavesthepublicconfusedbytwokindsof

knowledge,withinthemedicalcommunity.Thecollectivebutdryconclusionsofthescientific

communityandthepersonalanecdotesofantivaccinationists,eachexpressinganideaoftheir

own.

Whilearticlesfrombothinternalandexternalcommunitieslendtopersuasiverhetorical

strategies,apictureisworthathousandwords.Presentingvisualsbeforeanaudiencecancause

emotionstobeunconsciouslyevokedandmanipulated.Theuseoflargetextandcertaincolors

caneithercauseanaudiencetofeelcalmorpanicked.IchosethreearticlesfromtheCDC,

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and five

from various antivaccinationist

websitestodrawattentiontohow the

use of visuals, along with words, can

persuade anaudience.

figur figure figure

e9 9.1 9.2
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Throughout figures 9, 9.1, and 9.2thereisacommon,reoccurring

theme positivity and happiness.Noticehoweveryoneis

smiling. This many unconsciously persuade an

audience that getting vaccinated makes you happy.

The use of different races is seen throughout the posters

show that vaccines are beneficial for everyone and not

onespecificgroupofpeople. Therearenodemographiclimits

whenitcomestothehealthof you, your loved ones, or the

peopleinyourcommunity.Figure9.1,illustratesa mother with her children,

followedbythewords,IhavetoomuchtodotoriskgettingsickThisposteristargetedto

audiencesthathavefamilies.Parentshavetheresponsibilityoftakingcareoftheirchildrenby

makingsuretheycarrythisactionout;theytakeallthenecessarystepstoprovideagoodlifefor

theirkidswhichincludesgettingvaccinatedsotheydonotgetsick.Infigure9.2,thewords,I

doalotofthingstostayhealthy,includinggettingvaccinated,mymakeanaudiencebelieve

thatinorderforthemtobehealthy,theyneedtogetvaccinated.Iftherewasavaccineagainst

cancer,wouldntyougetitforyourkids?,isplasteredontheposterofaboyjumpingintoa

lake.
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figure 10

Deadlydiseasesarepreventable,butnoteveryoneisgettingvaccinated.Figure10questionsthe

audienceonwhetherornottheywouldgetvaccinatedforcancerifsuchvaccineexisted.This

formofpersuasioncausesanaudiencetorethinktheirdecisiontonotvaccinatetheirchildren,

maybeevenchangingtheirmindcompletely.Usingthewordkidsaffectsaparentalaudience.

Manyparentswoulddoanythingfortheirchildrenandquestioningthemabouttheirpersonal

choicesregardingtheirchildswellbeingmaygreatlyaffectthem.However,postersthatare

againstvaccinationsuselargeimpactfontinallcaps,visualsandexaggeratedlanguagetocreate

ascarerhetoric.Infigure11,thewordsvaccines,toomany,81,andinformedareallin

red.Changingthecolorofthesewordsunconsciouslypersuadestheaudiencetobecome

alarmed.Thisinformationpackedposterlistsallthevaccinesneededforachildfromages0to

12yearsold,theingredientsinthevaccine,aswellasthepossibledisordersthatresultfrom

vaccinations.Theuseofcomplex,medicalterminologypersuadesaudiencestofeelliketheyare

beinggivencredibleandactualinformation.
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figure
11

ThecollectionofNazipropagandapostersyouseeinfigure12and12.1hasbeentransformedby

NaturalNewsinordertoshowtheparallelsbetweenNazicrimesagainsthumanityandtodays

controversyonvaccinations.

figure figure
12 12.1

Infigure12,syringesareintheshapeoftheNaziswastika.Thewordvaccinationiswrittenin

greenandisinacomicalfontthatindicatesbiohazardwaste.Figure12.1comparestakingyour

childtogetvaccinatedtoAuschwitz.Thiscomparisoncausesanaudiencetoimmediatelyfeel

fearful. From 1941 to 1945 Jews were methodically murdered in the deadliest genocide in
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history,comparingvaccinationsthatpreventdeadlydiseasestooneoftheworstmassacres

seenthroughouthistoryisbasedonfearmongeringlanguage.Someonepartoftheinternal

medicalcommunitymaylookattheseantivaccinepostersandlaugh,however,thosewhoare

partoftheexternalmedicalcommunitymaybecomequicklyfrightenedandunnerved.

Withmyprimarysources,Ireceivedextensivefeedbackfrombothinternalandexternal

communities and could compare the differences in language between internal and external

communities.Thus,giventheopportunitytoreceivenewperspectivesandpointofviews.Iused

the same three basic questions for both survey and interview because the internal and the

externalmedicalcommunitiesdifferinmanyaspects.Themedicalcommunityplaysalargerole

inthiscontroversialtopic.Thehighlevelofexpertiseamedicalprofessionalobtains,ultimately

gives them the responsibility to educate and inform the public about health. They are a

concentrated,focusedcommunitythatcarriesagreatdealofknowledgeinregardstomedicine.

While,individualswithintheinternalmedicalcommunitybelievevaccinesarenotthecauseto

autism,individualsintheexternalcommunitybegtodiffer.Anexternalmedicalcommunity

doesnotholdthesamelevelofmedicalknowledgethataninternalmedicalcommunitymay

hold.Theopinionsofanexternalcommunityvary.Somepeoplearepartoftheantivaccine

movement,whileothersbelievethatherdimmunityformofimmunitythatoccurswhenthe

vaccination of a significant portion of a population provides a measure of protection for

individualswhohavenotdevelopedimmunityisvital.
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